Beyond The Wall The Making Of The Welcome Home Events For The Vietnam Veterans

On July 4, 1987 the definitive Welcome Home events for the Vietnam veterans took place in Washington DC, aired on HBO, and included a vast number of celebrities/musical entertainers in a 5-hour+ extravaganza that Congress declared as the official Welcome Home day for the vets. The event raised consciousness about vet issues and also millions of dollars for vet causes through the associated 501(c)(3) foundation, Welcome Home, Inc. As benefit concerts go, wrote the New York Post, 'Welcome Home' was a more unified and successful event, in terms of both its music and its message, than such well-intentioned spiritual brethren as 'Live Aid' and 'Farm Aid'. Beyond The Wall covers the origins and making of the events, while capturing the essence of the Baby Boom generation and the history that marked their lives. Since my mother was the Welcome Home founder and exec producer, this work is also a very personal family tale and labor of love.